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Sep 6, 2013

Election Eve Energy.

It was a bit touch and go there for a while this morning but thanks to this extra large TGIF (morning) coffee, I've now been able to rejoin the rest of Australia as we get through what we have to do on election eve. Which for me involved a trip to the bank and pushing past my sleep barrier.

It's a bit of a Perth thing being given a biscuit of some sort with your takeaway coffee. The European café and deli I like does wafer biscuits and the hipster place down the road does mini Oreos.

Banks. You can't live with them, you can't live without them.

I had a plastic shopping bag full of coins whose greatest wish in life was to be converted to plastic coated paper billage. In my mind, the conversion would just require me to give the bank teller my bag of coins, have them tip the bag into the magical coin shaker and counter and then have my bag handed back full (I wish) of notes. I thought gravity would do the work and that the coins would get separated by size.

Apparently not. I've heard from a few people that the coin counter only works with coins separated into individual denominations. Not only that but it appears that the denomination split is our responsibility and not a job for year 10 students doing work experience with the bank. But the banks aren't out to be completey difficult, they do send you on your way with special coin bags.

Now I know my bank now brands itself as 'CAN' rather than 'which' these days but I wasn't taking any chances. I sat down at the dining table yesterday and split my coins by currency and bagged them separately. The exercise took me back to primary school where we used to learn how to count and add with real coins. We still had one and two cent coins back then but now dollar valued coins. I wonder if this means the grade ones of today can only work in multiples of five and ten.

It was needless worry on my part. The bank lived up to its new motto and all I had to do was place my coins in the hopper, press a button and watch the screen for a live total. Then I took my receipt to the counter to collect my bills. Too easy and a bit of fun for a Friday morning. It's inspired me to search the crevices of every sofa and dresser drawer in the house this weekend. After I've voted, of course. Is anyone that excited about the outcome? Is it going to be a surprise at all?

Speaking of surprises, how good is Big W's current range of active wear? It looks good, is well priced and comes in a flattering range of colours that you can mix and match easily. I've borrowed the following images from Big W's online store.

Circuit Star Back Print T - $14.98

The Circuit branded sport tops are a lovely fit and are made of light, quick drying fabrics that wash well.

I've mentioned Michelle Bridge's line in a previous post and I bought a top and another pair of leggings from the brand this week.

ONE Active by Michelle Bridges Spliced T - $25

The top has a cooling mesh panel at the back and kept me cool during my mid morning run yesterday.

ONE Active by Michelle Bridges 3/4 Shapewear Leggings - $35

I have a story to tell about these Shapewear leggings. They are a super small cut and are even more hipster cut than those Sass and Bide jeans from back in the day. Michelle wasn't lying when she called these Shapewear. After battling with the floor and the wall to put them on, I'm happy to report that these leggings give you the 12WBT look in less than 12 weeks. My pair have stretched since the first wear and while still a snug fit, appear to be holding their own in their battle with my body. There is also a higher waisted version that might be the go when I need another pair.

All this talk of active wear and me not actually having done any cardio today. Photos of my glory days earlier this week will just have to suffice. I've taken my exercise regime to the great outdoors since I've been in Perth. I've also become a multiple stroller owner, the Imelda of prams, you could say.

The Bugaboo is now officially the walking for coffee and down to the shops vehicle. It gets quite heavy to lift in and out of the car boot and now that Baby SSG's old enough for a stroller, I have an $80 fold up one from KMart in the car. The Bugaboo does have its advantages in the Claremont Quarter but that's a story for another day. A day when I'm not caught out in my Big W running gear after a particularly sweaty run....

My Baby Jogger Summit X3 has proven to be a great investment. I bought mine off Amazon, I'm not sure who stocks it in Australia at the moment. The video above is a helpful summary of the main features of this stroller.

Baby SSG and I have gone for many jogs with the X3 and it's been easy to use from the first trial. Even putting it together was a breeze. All I had to do was clip on the wheels after unfolding the fully assembled pram body. The wheels came pumped up.

The features I love the most about this pram are:

the control for the front wheel (locked for jogging, unlocked for walking) is near the handlebar

there's a handbrake and safety strap which are easy to hold whilst jogging

it's a well made pram that's really comfortable and well thought out - the seat reclines fully, the canopy provides excellent protection from the sun and wind and there are little windows in the top ostensibly for babies to get a little sun but I like checking to see if Baby SSG has fallen asleep or not....

there's a very generous storage area under the pram which fits a skipping rope, a bottle in its warmer bag, a 600ml bottle of coke zero (I've broken my diet soft drink ban big time), the day's mail, a tracky top.... the list goes on. I am going to buy the parent console that attaches to the handle and has space for keys and things to make accessing these items a little easier.

it's a joy to run with as well as to walk with. It's light to manoeuvre but offers such a comfortable ride for the passenger that Baby SSG has fallen asleep on every run we've been on together.

About the skipping rope. High intensity circuit training appears to be all the rage these days and being a joiner, I'm trying to do a few minutes skipping and a few push ups at the mid point of my run. I'm convinced that doing my interval training overlooking the river significantly increases my skipping accuracy and the depth of my push ups. Or perhaps it's my Michelle Bridges gear...

Love how inspiring you are regarding daily exercise. :D. Now, about the coins, laughing here and relieved to know I am not the only one who for years stashed coins in a drawer (?) and then one day made a rule with myself that I would stop! Still have to remind myself not to lazily just toss them in!

I will check out the 3/4 leggings. Currently I am a fan of the Cotton on Body 3/4 leggings. I don't like at all the Lorna Jane or Lulu leggings, although I do think the Cotton On leggings are inspired by their higher priced altermative.